Wine Club Alumni: Jährliche Weindegustation

The ETH Wine Club’s fifth event took place at Musik & Wein, a small wine shop in Zurich. Although the shop is right next to the ETH MTEC building, it was everybody’s first time there. In addition to discovering some Spanish wines in the good company of fellow alumni and friends, this event enabled the attendees to discover a new corner of the city.

Apéro

The tasting naturally started with a sparkling wine (Cava Brut Reserva, Valencia, Bodegas Antonio Arraez). Most participants were unfamiliar with this type of Spanish wine, as they are more used to drinking Prosecco (or Champagne). They agreed that, with summer around the corner, this new discovery might come in handy for a casual Apéro by the lake!

White wines

They then moved on to two white wines: Verdejo (Robert Vedel, Verdejo Cepas Viejas, Rueda DO 2012, Bodega Herrero) and Rioja (Noralba Blanco, Barrique Rioja 2015, Castillo de Mendoza). Many of the participants tried a white Rioja for the first time; a worthy counterpart to the well-known red wines from the same region.

Red wines

The main focus of the tasting, however, was on the selection of Spanish red wines (listed below) from all over the country. Of the six different ones presented, none was a unanimous favorite among the group. Some particularly liked the wines with a familiar taste such as the Rioja, whilst others preferred less well-known specialties such as the Priorat. At the end of the tasting the attendees all had the impression that they learned a lot and gained new insights into the wide variety of red wines Spain has to offer.
- MalaVida, Valencia DO 2016, Bodegas Antonio Arráez (Syrah/Shiraz, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Monastrell)
- Cardela Crianza, Ribera del Duero DO 2014, Bohorquez (Tempranillo,
  Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)
- Noralba Crianza, Rioja DOCa 2015, Castillo de Mendoza (Tempranillo)
- Igneus FA 112, Priorat DOQ, Mas Igneus (Garnacha, Cariñena, Syrah)
- 200 Mongres Reserva, Rioja DOCa 2008, Vinicola Real
  (Mazuela, Graciano, Tempranillo)
- Delius, Rioja DOCa 2001, Bodegas Darien (Tempranillo, Graciano)

The participants felt that the wines tasted had a very good price-quality ratio. In particular, they were impressed by the MalaVida, a tasty red wine from Bodegas Arráez located near Valencia which can be bought for every occasion and only costs CHF 8.50!

What’s next?
The next wine event will take place in the coming months. If you want to be the first to know when and where, sign up to our newsletter by sending an email to .